INTERVIEW Kraft Heinz Ingredients Eyes International Expansion

05 Jul 2017 --- Kraft Food Ingredients has rebranded itself Kraft Heinz Ingredients after recently adding Heinz products to its portfolio of ingredient solutions. The newly named company made its debut to the food ingredients industry at IFT17, held June 25-28 in Las Vegas. The rebranding to Kraft Heinz Ingredients is a symbol of how Kraft Food Ingredients moving forward as a company to meet the needs of their customers.

The rebranding to Kraft Heinz Ingredients is a symbol of how Kraft Food Ingredients moving forward as a company to meet the needs of their customers. The company claims that the Kraft Heinz Co. has always stood for quality with familiar names like Heinz Ketchup, Kraft Cheese, Grey Poupon Mustard and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce in households across the country. The company’s newly expanded portfolio of ingredient solutions helps to further explore consumer trends create more possibilities for products and applications.

“The evolution of Kraft Food Ingredients to Kraft Heinz Ingredients is another milestone in the successful history of The Kraft Heinz Co. and further demonstrates the company’s commitment to the success of its ingredient subsidiary and its customers,” Kraft Heinz Ingredients reports. “The company’s unparalleled portfolio of iconic brands and application expertise provides a platform for leadership in the food ingredient industry.”

FoodIngredientsFirst caught up with Andrew Scribner, vice-president and general manager of Kraft Heinz Ingredients at IFT17 in Las Vegas who discussed the integration and future plans for the business. “We are really excited about rebranding our business and showcasing the business model to sell our ingredients and apply that the Heinz side. At IFT this year, we are aiming to raise awareness of the rebrand.”

The Kraft Ingredients business has traditionally almost entirely consisted of cheese, he notes (circa 85%), which limits export options beyond the US market. “When you look at it for us, we want to get beyond just cheese solutions, to a much broader space we see an opportunity to service the consumers with a broader range of products,” he explains. The real opportunity here is leveraging Heinz ingredients and compiling high quality products at good prices.

Kraft Food Ingredients announced the addition of Heinz Ketchup, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and a variety of Heinz vinegars, relishes and sauces to its portfolio back in March, earlier this year.

“There are three tiers for us, quality ingredients, natural and organic,” says Scribner. “We are trying to upscale our portfolio over time to better address the current consumers need and trends, by doing so, we are looking beyond what else we can sell in this space.”

“We are looking across the whole portfolio as to where we can go next. We would love to make changes right now, but it’s a work in progress and there are a lot of issues that still need to be addressed.”

Where are the main challenges? “For us as an ingredient supplier we are trying to partner with our customers by saying what do you need and we try to offer a solution for them,” he notes. “Organic is a place we are trying to get to which is complex and has most challenges so we are working through those solutions with great confidence.”

According to Scribner, snacking is an emerging global trend. “What we are seeing in the Middle East is snacking become much more relevant, we are making our product range kosher and halal to address the needs of consumers in that area,” he says. “From a global standpoint we are making sure that we are developing as we go along.”

“We are seeing faster growth internationally, across many categories including snacking. We have a strong presence in the Middle East currently and across Latin America – we have also starting to make some inroads into Africa.”

“One of the ways to integrate in this industry is to expand internationally, we hope that the months ahead will bring more news and show that our business is dynamic and growing with the evolution of the food industry,” Scribner finalizes. 

At IFT 2017, Kraft Heinz Ingredients presented a Parmesan Popcorn featuring ParmZing. This blend of aged Parmesan cheese with slightly softened notes is a premium choice that meets a variety of on-trend consumer preferences. Samples at the booth (pictured) included BBQ Meatballs featuring BBQ sauce made with Heinz Ketchup Product. Cream Cheese Biscuits featured Kraft Cream Cheese, while Cheesy Mac & Cheese featured Natural Cheddar Shreds, Cheddar Club Product and Old English with Natural Colors.

You can listen to the podcast here. A video interview with Andrew Scribner can be found here.

by Elizabeth Green & Robin Wyers